Hookworm larvae burrow into the skin and cause itching and discomfort in a heavily infested environment such as kennels.

How do we diagnose hookworm infestation?

Hookworms produce a lot of eggs which are easily found in faeces under a microscope. Faecal examination is less reliable in very young puppies.

How is hookworm treated?

Most broad spectrum wormers, like Milbemax and Drontal, kill adult hookworms. We repeat the treatment 2-4 weeks later to kill the next wave of larvae maturing into adult worms.

Are canine hookworms infectious to people?

Adult hookworms do not infect humans. However, hookworm larvae can burrow into human skin and cause itching. They do not mature into adults. Wear shoes to avoid skin contact with hookworm infested soil especially in wet weather.

How do we prevent hookworm infection?

1. Deworm pups at six weeks of age

2. Deworm pets at high risk of reinfestation

3. Pick up and dispose of dog faeces, especially in yards, playgrounds, and public parks.

4. Do not allow children to play in potentially contaminated environments.

5. Treat nursing bitches concurrently with their pups.

6. Use broad spectrum worm treatments that are effective against hookworms.

Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is an important viral infection of young cats in multi-cat households. Over the last few years infection has become less common.

What diseases are associated with FeLV?

FeLV infection suppresses the immune system making the cat susceptible to secondary infections and chronic diseases that would not affect a normal healthy cat. These include mouth ulceration, cat flu, and fungal infections.

Cancers of the white blood cells and solid tumours such as lymphoma cause 10-25% of FeLV deaths.

Anaemia and other blood cell abnormalities are very common in FeLV infected cats. Other FeLV-related diseases include abortion, fading kittens, diarrhoea, neurological or nervous system signs, and immune-mediated disease.

Around 80-90% of persistently FeLV-infected cats will die within 3.5 years of diagnosis.

How is the virus transmitted?

The virus is transmitted by direct contact between cats during grooming or sharing of litter trays and food bowls over a long period of time.

The virus is fragile and does not survive for long in the environment.

An infected queen passes the virus on to all her kittens if she carries them to term. However, this is uncommon as infection with FeLV usually causes infertility or abortion.

What happens when a cat is exposed to FeLV?

Not all cats exposed to FeLV go on to develop FeLV-related diseases. Most cats eliminate the virus from the body, although some remain latently infected for a few months before they conquer the virus completely.

In cat colonies where the virus is endemic only 30% of cats are persistently infected with FeLV and go on to develop FeLV-related disease. These cats are responsible for the transmission of FeLV to other cats.

How do we diagnose FeLV?

A test at the surgery detects FeLV virus in the blood of a persistently infected cat.

A negative result is always negative. Your vet will assess the predictive value of a positive result by taking your cat’s environment, housemates and outside access into account.

Cats in the process of eliminating the virus will test positive. A second test performed 8-12 weeks after the first test confirms persistent infection.

Is there any treatment for FeLV infection?

There is no treatment that eliminates the virus from the body.

Infected cats should be desexed and confined indoors to prevent exposure to infectious agents and other cats.

Because FeLV-infected cats are more susceptible to disease, vaccination for the common viruses that cause cat flu and enteritis is very important.

We treat secondary infections and other problems like mouth ulcers as they arise.

Most FeLV-infected cats eventually die of their infection or we elect to euthanase them if they are suffering.

Can we prevent infection?

If possible do not house your cat with a known infected cat. Any new cat to the household should test negative for FeLV.

If all the cats in the house are FeLV negative, confinement indoors will prevent casual exposure to wandering cats with the virus.

Vaccination of cats in contact with other infected or potentially infected cats is advisable. As with other vaccines, an initial course of two injections is required, and annual boosters are necessary to maintain immunity.

The thyroid gland regulates the body’s metabolic rate. When it slows down the whole body slows down.

Hypothyroidism is a deficiency in production of the thyroid hormone. This deficiency is caused by immune-mediated destruction of the thyroid gland, most commonly, or by natural atrophy of the gland.

Signs of hypothyroidism include:

Weight gain

Lethargy

Cold intolerance

Dry coat and excessive shedding of hair

Very thin coat

Increased pigmentation of the skin

Failure to re-grow hair after clipping or shaving

A tragic expression because of thickening of the facial skin

Abnormal nerve function exhibited as non-painful lameness, dragging of the feet, lack of co-ordination and a head tilt

Loss of libido and infertility in intact males

Lack of heat periods, infertility, and abortion in females

Spots on the eyes

Dry eye because of inadequate tear production.

Anaemia

The thyroid glands are located in the neck either side of the trachea or windpipe. They are controlled by the body’s master gland, the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain.

To confirm hypothyroidism we test blood to see if T4, the main thyroid hormone, is low. Unfortunately, dogs sick for some other reason or taking certain drugs like seizure medications, may have low levels too. Confirmation of hypothyroidism sometimes requires an additional test.

Hypothyroidism is treated daily with tablets containing a thyroid replacement hormone, thyroxine, for the rest of the dog’s life.

We check T4 levels again after a month of treatment to make sure we are giving the right dose. We test 4-6 hours after the morning dose. T4 levels are then checked every 6 months and the dose adjusted if necessary.

Overdosing produces signs of hyperthyroidism including hyperactivity, lack of sleep, weight loss, panting, nervousness, aggressive behaviour and an increase in water consumption. If any of these occur, please let us know immediately.